Gian Villante sat in his hotel room Wednesday and turned on NFL Network. He couldn’t help himself.
Five years ago this weekend was supposed to be the most exciting time of the Long Island native’s life. Villante was a
Division IAA AllAmerican linebacker at Hofstra and after a proday workout where he ran a 4.59 40 yard dash and benched 225 pounds 30 times, his agent was convinced he would be taken in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft.
At worst, the 6 foot 2, 258 pounder would go on the second day. But Villante was definitely getting drafted.
And then he wasn’t.
“Everything changed,” Villante said.
After that, the MacArthur High School product from Wantagh had a few workouts with NFL teams but his heart wasn’t in it. By September, he had turned his attention to mixed martial arts and five months later had his first pro fight.
Tomorrow, Villante makes his UFC debut against Ovince St. Preux at UFC 159 at Prudential Center in Newark.
“I don’t really know where it went wrong, but that’s why this sport is way cooler than football,” he said. “We get to go prove it in the ring and beat each other up. There’s nobody saying he doesn’t slide his feet well enough in the Cover 2. It’s wins and losses.”
Villante had credentials, though. In one game at Hofstra, he sacked Joe Flacco, then Delaware’s quarterback, twice.
“Villante is one of the toughest guys I’ve been around,” said the Jets’ Mike DeVito, who played at Hofstra rival
Maine. “I remember how much guys feared him on the football field at Hofstra. I can’t imagine having to square off and fight him.”
Villante also wrestled in college. Two years into his pro MMA career he was signed by Strikeforce, where hewent 32.
Strikeforce has since been bought by the UFC.
With his athleticism, size and wrestling ability, Villante, now 27, has the tools to be a force in the UFC. But first he has to sorry about St.Preux. Win or lose tomorrow, Villante has no regrets.
“It just never worked out with football,” he said. “I believe it all happens for a reason. I found this and I couldn’t be happier.”
—Additional reporting by Brian Costello